Maybe it's just me, but chapter 12 feels like a refreshingly clear passage compared to chapter 11. Although I guess there's still room for an additional controversy or two, mostly related to the idea of Spiritual gifts. Do these same gifts exist in today's world? People are often skeptical of those who claim to heal others. We don't really seem to know what to think about speaking in tongues. But regardless, verse 11 sums up the gifts discussion nicely with, "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit and he gives them to each one just as he determines."
This provides a nice transition into one of the coolest ideas found anywhere in Scripture...the Body of Christ existing as the group of believers throughout the world. We saw that the Spirit allocates gifts to Christians for the common good, and now Paul takes the idea of operating for the common good a step or two further. We can understand how the different parts of our physical bodies have different functions, and yet together they make up the whole of our physical being. Similarly, every follower of Christ has been uniquely constructed for a specific role in the Kingdom of God, and together we comprise the Body of believers throughout the world. We see that "God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be" (v. 18).
I'm not sure we can overemphasize how remarkable it is that God has given each of us such care and consideration as individuals as He has put together the human race as a whole. And we see that we exist for each other.
"If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it" (v. 26). I want to live in that world, where we empathize with all who hurt and celebrate with those who rejoice. It's a beautiful picture.
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